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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · firm · saw · squash · shower · pass · row · wake

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. saw — the tool
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. shower — rain
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. firm — a company
  19. wake — a trail
  20. firm — decided
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com